Page 7 of All Tied Up

There were only four other cars there, along with a van with the lodge’s logo, but he figured there might be more parking elsewhere. Or maybe folks were still arriving. He’d actually made good time out of the city and the event wouldn’t start for another hour.

That should give him plenty of time to freshen up and change and/or freak out in his room.

He grabbed his suitcase from the trunk and headed for the main entrance. Just like the pictures online, it looked wholesome. Rustic with a modern twist. The door handles were made out of deer antlers which had a pale glow against the shiny windows.

It didn’t look kinky.

Before he’d made it a few steps, he heard another car pulling into the lot. It was probably rude, but he stopped and waited. He was just so curious about the other guests. Who was going to be here? What were they like? Would they be dressed in leather and crop-tops, or look like they were going hiking?

He pretended to study the cluster of small, pink flowers that lined the sidewalk. He listened to a car door open and close, followed by a trunk. When he heard footsteps on the pavement, he “happened” to look up.

The man was stunning. He was white and about Neil’s age. Sharp in a business suit, similar to Neil’s own attire, yet athletic and tanned in a way that Neil would never be. The man’s best feature was his dark hair going silver at the temples, which somehow made him look distinguished and commanding, instead of just old like Neil.

He looked like every Daddy to ever grace a romance cover or porn screen, and just knowing that he was a Daddy sent a pulse of excitement through Neil’s chest.

“Hey, you here for the Cuffd weekend?” The stranger favored Neil with an easy grin, like they were sharing a secret.

Neil nodded shyly. How he could sit in a room full of CEOs handling billion dollar mergers without breaking a sweat but get tongue-tied over a simple question was a mystery. “Yeah, um, I am.”

“Well, good luck to you! It looks like there are about a dozen cute boys but only ten of us, so the odds should be good.”

Oh. Oh, no.

Should he say something? The man was already starting to turn away.

He finally found his voice, though it came out softly. “I’m a boy.”

There it was. He’d only said it out loud a couple of times, and mostly to Levi. Usually, he didn’t even say it so directly. It was more like “I think I want to be a boy.”

The man stopped and turned back, clearly trying to mask his surprise. “Oh! Right. I saw your profile. Well, I apologize, then.” There was a little wrinkle in his perfect brow.

“Yeah, uh, I guess that’s me.”

“Well, I hope you find your Daddy this weekend.” His lips curved up in a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

And there it was. Rejected already.

“Thank you,” Neil said softly. Like disappointment wasn’t ripping through his chest.

It wasn’t like he’d expected to have Daddies flocking around him, but he’d hoped to at least have a chance.

This was exactly, exactly what he’d been worried about.

“You heading in?” the man asked.

“No, I’m expecting a call,” he lied.

“Well, I’ll see you this evening then.”

“Sure.”

Neil waited until he was inside the door and then kicked one of the decorative stones into the parking lot. Dammit.

He knew this whole thing was a stupid idea.

He debated calling Levi.

He debated getting back in his car and driving the fuck home.